"What’s Your Dream?" - Kanya Balakrishna

What would be possible in the world if everyone learned the skills of dreaming and putting those dreams into action? That’s the question Kanya Balakrishna asks in her work with the non-profit The Future Project. Learn how dreaming can be the way to transform our educational system and every student in it.

Kanya Balakrishna is the co-founder and president of The Future Project, a national initiative to revolutionize education by transforming schools into places where every young person can discover their passion and purpose and build the skills to change their lives and world for the better.

Launched in 2011, The Future Project recruits, trains, and dispatches transformational leaders into high schools across the country. These leaders partner with teachers and community members to inspire and equip students to build passion-driven Future Projects in order to transform schools from the inside out. The Future Project has launched in more than 50 schools across seven major American cities, served more than 30,000 students, and raised $22 million in seed funding from prominent businesses, leaders, and philanthropists.

Kanya previously taught and coached students in Memphis, Tennessee, and New Haven, Connecticut. Kanya graduated from Yale, where she studied anthropology and served as managing editor of the "Yale Daily News." She launched The Future Project after working as the chief speechwriter to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg. Kanya has been recognized by DRK Foundation, MAKERS, Glamour, and Generation Progress.